Floor drain



Sept. 20, 1932.

H. ,1. LUFF ET AL FLOOR DRAIN 2 Sheets-Shem Original Filed Feb. 16, 1929 0 g E mfif M mu w m W .LZ A J 3 a M w Sept. 20, 193 H. J. LUFF ET AL. 1,878,946,

FLOOR DRAIN Original Filed Feb. l6. 1929 2 Sheets-Shea 2 H J Z INVENTORS 672/? zzff .1 BY W/Z/archf Z Zlff A TTORN Y5 Patented Sept. 20, 1932 UNITED STATES,

rArsnr QFFiiCE' 1 HENRY :r. ure AND WILLA-ans.- Lnrr, or cnnvnnannnnren'rs, onro; sarnnnnmr J. LUFF ASSIGNOR To SAID WILLARD r. LUIEE 31.003 DRAIN Application'filed February 16, 1.929. Seria1No.34=0,4 26. nenewed June 16, 1931. Y

The present invention relates, as indicated,

to a floor drain, and more particularly to a. valved and trapped drain The primary ob ject of the inventionis to provide an'effective 'drain of the type indicated: A further object of the invention is .to provide means for preventing large particles of solidmaterial from entering the trap. A further'object f the invention is to providemeans of the type last mentioned which may be reversed. to-prevent any flow into or from thetrap. A fur; ther object of the invention is to provide.

means for preventing silt from entering the trap while permitting complete drainage of.

liquidfrom the basin into the trap. A fun ther object of the invention is to provide an improved float valve for a trap ofthe class described, said valve being adapted to prevent backflow but also,. and particularly,

to allow free outflow of'all quantities of wa-.

ter from the least up to the full capacity of the drain, and to provide amechanical' seal which will become effective before the sealing liquid has entirely evaporated from the trap in long periods ofdisuse, thereby reducing such evaporation, and which will also act by itself to prevent entrance of sewer gas:

in the absence of a liquid -seal.fi O'therflobjects of the invention will appear .asthe description proceeds. To the accomplishment ofthe foregoing andrelates ends, said invention, then, consists of the meanshereinparticularly point- 1; Fig. 3is a section taken substantially upontheline 83 of Fig.2; Fig. 4 is a section taken substantially upon the line lti of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a broken section similar to Fig. 2illustrating another adjusted. position of one of the parts; Fig. 6 is a vertical section through one type of float adapted for use with the drain; and Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 6 of another type of float; o

Referring more particularly to the drawings it will be seen that thedrain 10 comprises;

' a conduitll, preferably horizontal, formed to provide a trap 12 ha-vingan enlarged vertically disposed neck 13, the mouth thereof. being internally threaded as at 14. The 7 A'cylindricalmember 17 provided with a plurality of peripherally elongated apertures 18 in vits cylindricalwalls is formed with an open end 19 externally threaded as at 20 for engagement with the threads 1% of the mouth of the neck 13. It may here be mentioned that the aggregate area of the apertures 18 in the member 17 is at least equal'to the crosssectional area of the outlet of the trap, where: by full and free flow of liquid through the fitting is permitted. It will be readily under stood that the primary reason for forming the apertures 18 in the cylindrical walls ofthe member 17, and for giving'them a peripherally elongated form is to prevent the careless attempts to clean the trap by unskilled persons through the use of wires or sticks pushed. down into the trap from above. A ring 21 of relatively soft metal is set into-said end 19 to, provide a seat for afloat 22 later tobe dc scribed in detail. Said float is vertically movable in said chamber 16 and is guided in its vertical movement by internally pro float always in a central'positionwith respect to. the mouth of the neck,'whereby'flow into the'trap is evenly distributed over the surface of the float. Oficourse the result 'of this even, distribution of flow is a selfcleansing action on thefloat; It will beseen ment, said float 22 will close as avalve against thewalls24 of the throat 15.

Referring to Fig. 2, three planes are shown, I

indicated as A, B and G. Plane A is the top flow level of the conduit 11, plane B is the bottom flow level and therefore represents the normal water level in the trap 12, and plane G represents the lowest level at which awater seal will be maintained. It will be noted that the dip D of the trap is conparallel, butactually diverging inwardly justsufliciently to allow the cores to be drawn. 1n goodfoundry practice this spread would be siderably below the bottom float seat 24, so

water level gradually lowers by evaporation the float 22 will seat on 24 while the water.

is yet well above the dip D, thus establishing a mechanical seal before the liquid seal is lost. Thismechanical seal also serves to hold the liquid seal longer because the evaporation is naturally'fastest in the inner leg of the trap. As thewater gradually evaporates away from beneath the float, the latter ceases to have any part of its weight water-borne and so-settles more firmly on theseat 24;

Referring now to Fig. 3, the construction of the float chamber there shown is a prac-' tical one from the foundry standpoint. It is of course advantageous to have the guide ribs 23 cast integral with the rest of the traploutv this presents a problem of making an arrange; mentwhereby the cores'can be drawn, and also'such that any flash at the parting will not'interfere with the float rise and fall. Machining oif inside flash is expensive, and to be avoided if possible. To these ends We have formed the ribs 23 by inward corrugations of the neck l3,these ribs having their opposite faces, as E, E and F, F substantially and yet allow water flow. past thefloatto the full capacity .of the conduit '11, when the float is clear of both seats. r

. v ---At,its end opposite the end 19, the memthreads 14. As is shown in Fig. 5, said mem ber 17maybe removed from the location illustrated in Fig.2, inverted-,andscrewed into the'mou'th of the neck 13 in the position illustrated in Fig. 5 to close said mouthipo'sitivelyagainst flow through the trap into the basin 29 from the trap 12. Said end 25 is formed'with' a pluralityof ears. 27 V to facilitate rotation of said member 17 .1 Said memth'at when the trap is unused and the trap a plug 37. V i =In Fig. 6 we-have shown on an enlarged ber 17 is formed as a solid plug 25 formed with external threads 26-engageable with the As is clearly shown in Fig. 2, the drain 10 i is formed to provide a basin 29 the open upperend ofwhich is adapted to e covered lugs 31 adapted to be engaged in an annular groove 32 through slots 33in the Well known manner: Within said basin 29 there is a ring '34 centered uponv the lugs 28 of the member 17., Said ring is formed with a sharply beveled lower edge 35' which rests upon thefloor-of the chamber 29. As will be apparent, any silt which enters the chamber 29- will be arrested by the'ring 34. .7 The drain unit isa casting, and consequently the floor of the basin 29.is not absolutely smooth. As a result, tiny openings will be present between the edge 35'of the ring 34 and said floor, and these openings will permit the seepage of liquid past said ring, though they do-not permit the'passage of solid material.

As is shown in Figs. 1 and 2,. the conduit 11 is'formed with an internally threaded clean-v out opening 36 which is normally closed by scale a section'through one typeof float 22 which may be used in the present drain. This float comprises a substantially hemispherical member '38.- In the manufacture of the float, an internal bead39 is formed adjacent the open end of said member 38 and a rigid disc 40 is entered into said member and located in contact with the outer edge of said bead. A dished member 41 having a concavo-convexnub 42 at its center isthen placed in: engagement with the outer face of the disc 40, and the projecting end 44 of that portion 43 of the member 38 which extends beyond the bead 39 is bent over into engagement with the rim of the member 41 to hold the same in-place. It will be seen that thisconstruction provides a float, the center of gravity of which is solocated that such float will always present its hemispherical surface above the surface of a liquid in which it is floating. V '1 4 In-Fig..7 we have illustrated a second type of float 22 which may be preferably formed of bakelite or similar material. This float. comprises a substantially hemisphericalmember 45 having athickened portion 46 adjacent its open end. Said portion 46 is internally notched asat 47 for the reception of a' dished member 48 also of bakelitefor similar material having a concavo-c onvex nub- 49 atits center.- I The member 48 may be cemented in place in the notch 47, and this construction likewise provides a float which will always present its hemispherical surface above the surface of a liquid in which itis floating.-

Other ;modes of applying the principle of by a perforated'plate 30 provided with radial our invention may be employed instead of the one explained, change being made as regards the mechanism herein disclosed, pro vided the means stated by any of the following claims or the equivalent of such stated means be employed.

We therefore particularly point out and distinctly'claim as our invention:

1. In combination with a floor drain trap having an inlet basin provided with a port in its bottom, a cylindrical strainer having its open end engaged in said port, a plural ity of radial lugs on said strainer, and means centered on said'lugs for arresting silt and the like before it reaches said strainer, while permitting complete drainage of liquid from said basin.

2. In combination with a floor drain trap having an inlet basin provided with a port in its bottom, a cylindrical strainer having its open end engaged in said port, a plurality of radial lugs on said strainer, and an annular collar centered on said lugs.

3. In combination with a floor drain trap having an inlet basin provided with a port in its bottom, a cylindrical strainer having its open end engaged in said port, a plurality of radial lugson' said strainer, and an annular collar centered on said lugs and having a bevelled edge resting on the floor of said basin. 7

4:. As an article of manufacture, a cylindrical strainer having an open end and a closed end, said open end being adapted to serve as a seat for a float, the cylindrical wall of said strainer being pierced by a plurality of I horizontal elongated apertures, the opposite ends of said strainer being threaded to hold said strainer in place against back pressure.

5. A floor drain having in combination an inlet basin, a port in the bottom of said basin,

a vertical float chamber below said port, a

float therein, a water seal trap below said 7 float chamber, an open-bottomed strainer having its bottom engaged in said port, an annular collar positioned around said port by means of said strainer, the bottom of said strainer comprising the top seat for said float above the normal water level of said trap, an enlarged portion of the inner arm of said trap forming the bottom seat for said float, said bottom seat being below the normal but above the minimum trap water level.

6. A floor drain comprising a trap, a float and a vertically disposed float chamber associated with the inlet portion of said trap,

said float chamber having a'valve seat at both its upper and lower ends, said chamber being formed with its upper end spaced above the top of the float at normal water level in said trap and its lower end spaced below the normal water level but above the lowest water level in said trap, said chamber having a series of vertically disposed guides adapted to position a float centrally in said chamber at any level between said upper and lowervalve seats, or upon either of said seats.

7 A floor drain fitting comprising a horizontal pipe, a trap integral therewith and a float valve above said trap, said valve comprising a seat formed in the inner arm of fitting and said upper seat being above the normal flow level of said fitting, whereby an open passage for liquid exists at normal liquid level.

.8. A floor drain having a horizontally disposed outlet conduit, a basin having its top above the top of said conduit and its bottom outlet below the top of but above the'bottom of said conduit, a trap connecting said conduit with said basin, the inner leg of said .trap forming a float chamber below said basin, afloat in said chamber, float seals in the basin bottom outlet at a distance above the dip of the normal trap water level and below the float above the minimum trap water level, the wall of said float chamber being formed with a plurality of axially directed corrugations the inner edges of which constitute float guides, the combined crosssectional area of the channels between said corrugations being not less than the crosssectional area of said conduit.

9.1 In a cast floor draintrap fitting having an inner vertical leg, a float chamber in said in said chamber above and below said guide ribs and channels between said ribs, each of said ribs being formed with all faces disposed to intercept perpendiculars from a cen tral vertical plane through said fitting.

Signed by us this 5th day of February,

HENRY J. LUFF. WILLARD J. LUFF.

leg, vertical guide ribs in said chamber, seats 

